It all started when three friends bought an abandoned industrial lot that was in a terrible condition, but had an exceptional potential for transformation.

Situated in the middle of a city-block in the dense, historic center of Ghent, the L-shaped lot is surrounded by back gardens and townhouses.

The existing buildings were divided into three houses. Between each new dwelling small patches were scooped out of the buildings, making room for enclosed private gardens with a distinctive urban feel.

The house is located in a residential neighborhood in Nova Oeiras in the Oeiras district, a neighborhood with a modernist urbanism, which is a great example of the concept called “garden city”. This neighborhood has an area of houses built in spacious plots, each with a leafy garden.

The very first question we asked ourselves about this project was: “what is the most unique charm of a share house in today’s housing reality?”

The answer was simple: nicely designed and spacious spaces such as a kitchen, dining room, living room and bathroom, all of which individuals may not be able to afford or dream of—at least in a crowded and expensive city like Seoul.

Among the pines trees, a stone plateau is drawn to a scale that can no longer be understood as a courtyard. The space embraces a wide area of trees. The house and its services define a recognizable solid border. The interior of this boundary is inhabitable and characterized by light. The more open side of the house creates a water tank through the connection of geometries. A space that embraces its context is created through this closed extension.

LLI Design recently completed a total redesign and refurbishment of a 4 story 1970’s townhouse in Highgate, a leafy and desirable part of London.

The house had tremendous potential and the new owners, a young professional couple, wanted to embrace the 1970’s feel, rather than try to ignore it, albeit not in a cliched way. Top of their wish list was a contemporary glass and steel open tread staircase and a master bathroom with a distinctive WOW factor.

This house is situated in the foothills of the Val Tidone, in the Piacentine countryside. Conceived as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional ‘cascina’ and barns typical of the area – reflected in the materials and proportions – it presents itself as a modern design, free from nostalgic elements.

Elite house in the Rostov region The severe and laconic outline of the building, the large heavy roof – it all creates enormity, static impression. At the same time, the huge stained glass windows do not prevent a view from penetrating to the interior space, revealing the building structures which are the main aesthetic value. Specially highlighted structure shows the inner beauty of the building.

Julian and his wife, Mana, a fashion designer, chose the 3,500 sq ft, five-storey house they have now been living in for 18 months for its stunning views over the country park, Plover Cove Reservoir and the South China Sea.

“It is a famous feng shui area because you can see three ‘dishes’ of water – the reservoir and the sea on either side of an island – which is a sign of very good fortune. There are green mountain views and we can also see the Kwun Yum [statue] from our rooftop on a clear day,” says Chan. “I love it because we are so close to nature – you can hear the birds sing during the day and the insects whistling at night. One of our priorities was the private glass-fronted terrace [with water wall] so we could take advantage of our natural environment.”

Coupée Croisée is the extension of a Ville Mont-Royal cottage, the enclosed garden-city of Montreal.

With quality lands of good dimensions, the framework is overshadowed by a neighborhood of residences with poor architectural qualities.

In order to build upon the natural qualities of the location while respecting the rigorous municipal regulatory constraints, we adopted a concept that gave its name to the project. The building was cut (coupé) in two, maintaining the street-side half, and completing it with a new half focused towards the yard. The residence is organized by a cross (croisé) pattern.